Various mechanical devices have been proposed and used in the past to improve the swing of the average golfer. These devices, though operative to some degree, have proven to be rudimentary in design and thus awkward in their use. Indeed, these prior art devices generally require multiple attachments to the user which may distort the natural feel of the club and impede, rather than guide, the golfer's movements. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,736 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,589 issued to Tesi and Arena, respectively, require the attachment of rope segments to belt loops located adjacent the hips of a golfer. As disclosed in the '736 and '589 patents, the segments are used to restrain the rotational movements of a golfer during his or her swing.
These prior art devices also suffer from a lack of or limited adjustability thus proving undesirable to users. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,317 issued to Wilson discloses an elastomeric training device used in conjunction with a belt, a rope segment and a stake. Conventional devices of this type often require adjustments in the stabilizing segments to arrive at the proper tension. Often, these necessary adjustments are not apparent until the golfer takes an address position over the golf ball or practice tee. For the golfer to then adjust his or her stance, the golfer must leave the address position and physically move the stake a distance closer or farther away, depending on the amount of adjustment needed.
As set forth above, these conventional training devices have proven difficult to use and, in many cases hinder--rather than guide--the user's movements. For these reasons, such devices have seen little use and have had limited success.